A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Automatic Activation of Adolescents' Peer-Relational Schemas: Evidence From Priming With Facial Identity
Authors: Nummenmaa L, Peets K, Salmivalli C
Publisher: WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC
Publication year: 2008
Journal:: Child Development
Journal name in source: CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Journal acronym: CHILD DEV
Volume: 79
Issue: 6
First page : 1659
Last page: 1675
Number of pages: 17
ISSN: 0009-3920
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01217.x
Abstract
This study provides experimental evidence for automatic, relationship-specific social information processing in 13-year-old adolescents. Photographs of participants' liked, disliked, and unknown peers were used as primes in an affective priming task with happy and angry facial expression probes and in a hypothetical vignette task. For the affective priming, reaction times were faster for congruent than for incongruent prime-probe pairs when the prime visibility was high and the prime-probe stimulus onset asynchrony was long. In the vignette task, participants attributed more hostility toward the protagonist, experienced more anger, and were more likely to retaliate when the disliked peer served as a prime. It is concluded that peer-relational schemas and related affect are activated automatically upon perception of a peer.
This study provides experimental evidence for automatic, relationship-specific social information processing in 13-year-old adolescents. Photographs of participants' liked, disliked, and unknown peers were used as primes in an affective priming task with happy and angry facial expression probes and in a hypothetical vignette task. For the affective priming, reaction times were faster for congruent than for incongruent prime-probe pairs when the prime visibility was high and the prime-probe stimulus onset asynchrony was long. In the vignette task, participants attributed more hostility toward the protagonist, experienced more anger, and were more likely to retaliate when the disliked peer served as a prime. It is concluded that peer-relational schemas and related affect are activated automatically upon perception of a peer.
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